Did Tim Walz serve in the military? What to know about VP candidate's service.

Along with his career as a high school teacher, football coach, and rural upbringing, Democratic vice presidential candidate and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz's 24-year service in the Army National Guard has been touted by Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign.

But Walz's military service has also become a lightning rod for conservative criticism, including attacks from Republican vice presidential candidate and Ohio Sen. JD Vance on his retirement and misrepresentations of his service—two points expected to come up in tonight's first and only televised debate, hosted by CBS News.

More: Vice presidential debate live updates: How to watch Tim Walz and JD Vance face off

Tune into the CBS News Vice Presidential Debate on Tuesday, Oct. 1, at 9 p.m. ET on CBS or simulcast on www.usatoday.com.

Walz's history serving in the Army National Guard

Walz began his military service two days after his seventeenth birthday when he enlisted in the Nebraska Army National Guard in 1981. He transferred to the Minnesota National Guard in 1996 after moving to the state for a teaching job.

During his military service, Walz served in Nebraska, Texas, Arkansas, and Minnesota. He responded to natural disasters and was deployed to Italy for nine months in 2003 to provide support for the troops in Afghanistan, according to Minnesota Public Radio.

He eventually retired in 2005 to campaign for Minnesota's 1st Congressional District seat in the House of Representatives, which he won. During his time in Congress, Walz was the highest-ranking enlisted soldier ever to serve in Congress.

Republican criticism of Walz's service

Shortly after Walz was announced as Harris' vice presidential pick, conservatives began attacking various aspects of his service history, including the timing of his retirement.

Republicans accused Walz of exaggerating his final rank in the Army National Guard, where he served for 24 years. In the past, Walz described himself as a retired command sergeant major, one of the highest non-commissioned officer positions in the Army.

While he achieved that rank, he did not meet the requirements to retire with that title.

The Harris campaign says also Walz "misspoke" in 2018 during his gubernatorial campaign in Minnesota when he referred to "weapons of war, that I carried in war." Walz was never deployed to a war zone.

Reuters contributed to the reporting of this story.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Did Tim Walz serve in the military? A look at VP candidate's service.